Evocative look at war’s price

“Stop running!” cries an aging Japanese man to his grandchildren on the beach. “Let them run,” admonishes one of two former comrades-in-arms. All three are remembering their maritime service, but the young keep distracting them. “Stop running,” snaps their grandfather. “Let them play,” his crony replies, as they follow the children.

The shadows deepen, a jet roars overhead, and 48 years melt away. It is the twilight of World War II, and Emperor Hirohito’s divine honor demands no less than that young men should die for it.

This shrewdly synoptic stroke opens John Ridley’s engrossing “Ten Thousand Years” at the El Portal Forum Theatre. Before that present-day beach reappears, presumptions and sympathies will have reversed in acutely trenchant ways. In its refusal to condescend and ability to engage, this populist study of one kamikaze squadron is a considerable achievement.

First-time playwright Ridley seeks to right the stereotypical wrongs of countless Hollywood films, and he largely succeeds. The fact-based plot unfolds with notable character, politically incorrect banter and genuine surprises. Even the potentially cliched subplot about an innkeeper and his daughter proves thematically crucial, and the blend of stylization and realism throughout is compelling.

Despite Ridley’s first-play quirks -- some sitcom jokes, a slightly lopsided act structure -- director Kipp Shiotani and a seamless company keep the energy taut. Alan E. Muraoka’s set of mottled-gray temple arch and rising-sun backdrop takes Craig Housenick’s lush lighting beautifully. Ann Closs-Farley and Miguel Montalvo provide realistic costumes, Dennis Yen’s sound is evocative and Ron Yuan’s movement choreography is invisible.

The wonderful cast interacts with house-stilling skill. Greg Watanabe’s alpha dog, Archie Kao’s country outsider and Reggie Lee’s unexpected rebel have the juiciest opportunities, but Blake Kushi’s brain and Shiotani’s wiseacre easily hold their own. As their commanding officers, Matthew Yang King and Henry Hayashi almost steal the show. Dana Lee’s unaffected innkeeper deserves an Act 2 apotheosis, and Jennifer Aquino finds quiet shadings in his survival-minded daughter.

If this superb realization is any indication, “Ten Thousand Years” could make a remarkable film, once its pertinent appeal has flown across the theatrical stratosphere.

*

‘Ten Thousand Years’

Where: El Portal Forum Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood

When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays

Ends: Feb. 27

Price: $15

Contact: (866) 811-4111 or www.10k.theatremania.com

Running time: 2 hours